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Ayer selectmen, Comcast ink deal

AYER -- After several years of work, the Ayer Cable Advisory Committee has worked out a new nonexclusive, 10-year franchise agreement with Comcast that will carry through March 1, 2023.

Chairman Doug Becker provided a glimpse into the highlights at Tuesday's selectmen's meeting. The board voted unanimously to enter into the contract renewal, which takes effect April 1.

Becker said the new deal provides for a $150,000 investment for capital-equipment purchases and to "help us outfit a modern TV studio" at the renovated Ayer Shirley High School. The deal also includes greater access for more remote areas of town.

The deal is nonexclusive in that other cable providers could enter the Ayer market. The Ayer Cable Advisory Committee had wooed Verizon FIOS interconnectivity in town but the company abandoned its push into Ayer.

"We would love to have Verizon come to town and wire us with FIOS but I don't think it will happen," said Becker.

"Comcast has been a great provider," he said.

Also coming soon is a third local-access channel for Ayer programming, to be available within the next 180 days. The deal also includes better connectivity from Shirley locations for live programming capabilities. Now programming between Ayer and Shirley is shared via "sneaker network," said Becker, with DVDs ferried from one network to another manually.

Work into researching the Comcast offerings and the upcoming contract renewal began in earnest four years ago.

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Selectmen voted, 5-0, to enter into the new Comcast contract.

At the meeting, selectmen presented Becker with a certificate of recognition for his ongoing work as treasurer of the Ayer Public Access Corp. Becker was a founding member of the group and retains oversight of the many local programming productions, including the cablecasts of the Ayer selectmen's meetings.

Other signature APAC programs include the Finance Committee, Board of Health, Conservation Commission, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Town Meetings. APAC also broadcasts major school athletic events, annual candidates forums, and the monthly meetings of the Joint Boards of Selectmen on Devens.

Those APAC meetings can also be seen via links posted to the town's website under the link "Meeting Videos" at www.ayer.ma.us. More details about APAC and its programming can be viewed at www.ayerpac.org.

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